Solderless terminal block for wire banks



Sept. 15, 1959 F. R. EDGARTON SOLDERLESS TERMINAL BLOCK FOR WIRE BANKSFiled May '7, 1957 IIHIIIIHI 7- illlllllllllllllillllIIIHIIIIU 3 IllINVENTOR FRANK R. EDGARTON BY 1%, Mg

AGENT United States Patent SOLDERLESS TERMINAL BLOCK FOR WIRE BANKSFrank R. Edgarton, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to General DynamicsCorporation, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May7, 1957, Serial No. 657,527

4 Claims. (Cl. 339-66) My invention relates to terminal blocks ingeneral and more particularly to terminal blocks for establishingconnections between substantially rigid, closely spaced conductors, suchas are found in wire bank assemblies used for certain types of telephoneswitching apparatus, with other conductors, such as those contained in aconnecting cable.

My invention may be used in connection with wire bank multiple formed inthe manner set forth in US. Patent 2,506,730 to F. A. Morris. Suchmultiple is usually formed from sections or assemblies comprising twoparallel rows of substantially rigid, round, uninsulated conductorsmaintained in spaced relationship to each other along the length of theconductors. Heretofore it has been the practice to establish connectionsbetween each of the multiple conductors and individual, insulated Wires(usually contained in a cable) by introducing the opposite ends of asleeve over the individual cable wire and bank conductor and thereaftersoldering the sleeve in place. The exposed portions of the insulatedwire and the sleeve may be covered with so-called spaghetti insulationin order to prevent shorts between adjacent ones of the sleeves. The useof such sleeve connectors offers several disadvantages including thenecessity for making individual soldered connections on each wire bankconductor, the possibility of dropping solder into the wire bank, andthe possibility of inadvertently burning the spaghetti sleeves in thecourse of soldering other connections.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a new andimproved terminal block for electrically joining conductors.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedsolderless connector block for electrically joining conductors.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved terminalblock for use with bare wire bank multiple.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedconnector block for use with Wire bank multiple which depends uponmechanical distortion of the conductors to establish reliable electricalconnections.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedsolderless connector block for wire bank multiple made up of sectionscomprising two parallel rows of conductors.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference is made in thefollowing description to the drawing attached to and forming a part ofthe present specification, and in which:

Figs. 1a, 1b and show atop plan view of a terminal block, a sideelevation of a terminal block in place on a wire bank subassembly, and abottom plan view of the wire bank subassembly, respectively;

Fig. 2 shows a section taken through section 2--2 indicated in Fig. 1a;and,

Fig. 3 shows a section taken through section 3-3 indicated in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1b shows the side ele- "ice vation ofthe end portion of a wire bank section. As indicated in Fig. 1c, thesection comprises first and second pluralities of substantiallystraight, round rods or conductors 5a and 5b arranged in first andsecond rows, respectively. The conductors in each row are evenly spacedapart from and parallel to each other; similarly, the rows are parallelto each other. The section elements are held in place by a plurality ofinsulator blocks 10 spaced apart from each other along the length of thesection. The lengths of conductors 5a and 5b extending upwardly from thetopmost block 10 are substantially equal.

A terminal block 1 of insulating material comprising web portion 3connecting lower flange portion 4 to upper flange portion 2 is providedfor the ultimate purpose of individually connecting each one ofconductors 5a and 5b to one of a plurality of insulated flexibleconductors such as the one comprising wire 8 and insulating material 9.

Accordingly, the end of each of conductors 5a and 5b is introduced intoa corresponding one of first and second rows ofparallel bores which passthrough flange 4 from top to bottom. Each bore is close fitting to thereceived one of rods 5a and 5b; the bores are evenly spaced apart fromeach other by the same distance as the distance separating adjacent onesof conductors 5a and 5b.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the rows of bores are positioned to admit acertain portion of that part of each of conductors 5a and 5b which liesbetween flanges 2 and 4 to the leftand right-hand channel, respectively,formed in the sides of block 1 by both flanges and the Web. The

remaining portion of that part of each conductor in the first and secondrows lying between flanges 2 and 4 is received within one of a series ofdepressions or flutes formed in leftand right-hand sides of web 3. Eachof" these depressions lies immediately over each one of the bores, eachdepression being located in web 3 so that its surface is continuous withthe surface of the corresponding bore. The depressions extend the fullwidth of web 3 and terminate in surfaces which are substantially levelwith the inner surface of flange 2. After the ends of con ductors 5a and5b have been introduced to the bores in flange 4, block 1 is advanceddownwardly in a direction parallel to the length of conductors 5a and 5buntil the rods encounter the inner surface of upper flange 2.

In order to connect each of insulated wires 8 with the corresponding oneof rods 5a and 512, each insulated wire 8 is electrically connected to acylindrical sleeve connector 6 by any of a number of commerciallyavailable fastened devices such as tapered plug 11. Each sleeve 6 isintroduced through one of a pair of rows of openings:

in flange 2 'as indicated in Figs. 2 and v3 and advanced in Ythedirection of flange 4. Each opening fits closely around the received oneof connectors 6. The rows of openings in flange 2 are substantiallyparallel to the bores passing through flange 4 and are positioned sothat each of pins 7 which extend concentrically from each of sleeve 6intersects the end of the one of rods 5a and 5b received within thecorresponding bore at a point on the rod which faces away from Web 3.Each sleeve 6 is then further advanced in the direction of flange 4 sothat its attached pin 7 and the engaged one of rods 5a and 5b aremechanically distorted by scoring each other. The scoring action iseffective to establish a low resistance contact between each of rods 5aand 5b and the corresponding one of wires 8.

Corresponding bores in each of the first and second rows are centered onthe same line which is also perpendicular to flange 3. For this reasonthe corresponding wire-receiving depressions in opposite sides of web 3are similarly situated. When corresponding ones of conductors 5a and 5bin the first and second conductor rows are laterally displaced againstopposite sides of web 3, 3 by the introduction of connectors 6 into theflange 2 openings, the lateral distortions of opposite ones of rods aand 5b against web 3 are substantially equal and opposite because allrods and pins are substantially matched in size, shape and material.Under these conditions, the thickness of web 3 can be determined on thebasis of factors other than the resistance of the insulating material inblock 1 to distortion. Because each of rods 5a and 5b is compressedbetween one of pins 7 and flange 3, no rotational force is exerted byconductors 5a and 5b on flange 4. Therefore, the thickness and width offlange 4 also may be determined on the basis of factors other than theresistance of the insulating material in block 1 to tensile and shearingforces.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention,other modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. I donot, therefore, desire my invention to be limited to the specificarrangement shown and described, and I intend in the appended claims tocover all modifications falling within the spirit and scope of myinvention.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for making an electrical connection between a metallicrod and a pin-bearing connector, a block of insulating materialcomprising upper and lower flanges having opposed, inward-facingsurfaces connected by a web, a bore passing through said lower flange inthe direction of said upper flange and underlying a part of said web, adepression formed in said web overlying said bore, the end of said rodbeing introduced through said bore and extending to the inward-facingsurface of said upper flange, a portion of said rod being receivedwithin said depression, an opening passing through said upper flange inthe direction of said lower flange for receiving said connector, saidbore and said rod therein being oriented with respect to said openingfor making said pin engage said rod at a point on said rod facing awayfrom said web as said connector is advanced in the direction of saidlower flange, whereby the end of said rod is located relative to saidconnector and said block as said pin and said rod are brought intoelectrical contact and the mechanical displacement of the end of saidrod lying between said flanges is limited to the confines of saiddepression.

2. In a device for making an electrical connection between a metallicrod and a pin-bearing connector, a block of insulating materialcomprising upper and lower flanges having opposed, inward-facingsurfaces connected by a web, a bore passing through said lower flange inthe direction of said upper flange and underlying a portion of said webfor receiving the end of said rod, a depression formed in and extendingto said inner surface of said upper flange in said web and overlyingsaid bore for receiving a portion of said rod as said rod is advanced inthe direction of said inward-facing surface of said upper flange, anopening passing through said upper flange in the 4 I direction of saidlower flange for receiving said connector, said bore and said rodtherein being oriented with respect to said opening for making said pinengage said rod at a point on said rod facing away from said web as saidconnector is advanced through said opening in the direction of saidlower flange, whereby the end of said rod is located relative to saidblock and the mechanical displacement of said rod is limited to theconfines of said depression. 7

3. In a device for individually connecting each of first and second rowsof parallel rods to corresponding ones of first and second pluralitiesof pin-bearing sleeve connectors, a block of insulating materialcomprising upper and lower flanges having opposed, inward-facingsurfaces connected by a web, each of said flanges having portionsprojecting from both sides of said web, first and second rows of borespassing through said lower flange in the direction of said upper flangeon opposite sides of said web for receiving the ends of saidrods in saidfirst and said second rows, respectively, corresponding bores in saidfirst and said second rows being located at opposing points on the sidesof said web, portions of each of said bores underlying said web,depressions formed in the surfaces of said web over each of said boresfor receiving a portion of the one of said rods as the ends of said rodsare advanced in the direction of said upper flange, first and secondrows of openings passing through said upper flange in the direction ofsaid lower flange and on opposite sides of said web for receiving saidconnectors of said first and said second pluralities, respectively, eachof said bores and the one of said rods received therein being orientedwith respect to the corresponding one of said' openings for making saidpin of said connector received therein engage the received one of saidrods at a point facing away from said web, whereby the mechanicaldisplacement of each of said rods is limited to theconfines of thecorresponding one of said depressions as eachof said connectors isadvanced through its opening in the direction of said lower flange, andstrain against said web caused by mechanical distortion of correspondingones of said rods in said first and said second rows is balanced atpoints distributed along the length of said Web.

' 4. The device set forth in claim 3 wherein said depressions extend tosaid inner surface of said upper flange and the end of each of said rodsis extended to saidinner surface of said upper flange, whereby the endsof said rods are located relative to said block.

References Cited in the file ofv this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GreatAug. 16 1949

